Willyard, Samantha D: March 2009 Archives

I hope you're reading this and enjoying the sunshine (partially) and gorgeous weather (50 degrees is better than 35 and rain!). I'm excited SPRING is finally here. The campus looks so much more alive now. There are people everywhere... outside playing frisbee, studying outside, walking the riverwalk... it's great. I love this weather because I usually just sit outside with a book and soak it all in. It is the perfect solution to the winter blues.

With Spring comes green grass and flowers and all that fun stuff (or not so fun if you're like me and allergic to almost anything). So this week my Floor Partner, Katrina and RA friend, Sam planned a program for our residents called "Plant a Seed, Plant a Flower, Plant a Rose." Basically we're buying ceramic pots, seeds and we got soil donated to us (Thanks!) and we're going to let all of our residents plant flowers for their room. There is nothing like a flower to brighten your day.

The Spring Concert "Sounds of Spring" is coming up too. It's a free concert for students ($100 for guests), put on by our musical talent on campus. The money raised goes to scholarships for music students. If you're on campus, I think you should definitely attend. What else can you do for free on a Wednesday night?

Well, a little tidbit about me... I'M ON CRUTCHES!!!! AHH!!! I fell down the stairs this weekend and sprained my ankle. I did quite the number on myself. It's good that a lot of my classes are accessible by elevators, because getting from one place to another isn't fun. But I digress, only 5 more days of crutches (hopefully!).

First let me just say, UML RIVERHAWKS ARE IN THE HOCKEY EAST FINALS!!!!!! Holy batman is that incredible. The game last night was amazing. There were so many UML fans old (alumni) and young (current students) just littering the garden. It was so cool to see.

Well, being the wicked smart person I am, I forgot my camera at home. LUCKY FOR ME... my great friend Alyssa brought hers and is letting me use some of her pictures in my blog. Thank you Alyssa!!!!

The game was full of shots (I wanna say 44 to 26), both goalies were on fire. Fast forward to the craziest part of the game (i'm not a sports writer in the least... just a heads up.)

So the game was 2-1 nearing the end of the 3rd period when OUT OF NOWHERE, with 19 SECONDS left on the clock, Campbell tied it up! The entire Northeastern crowd just kinda stood there... in awe... and the whole UML section was going CRAZY!!!

So OVERTIME, it's a clean slate you know? It might as well be 0-0 again. It's a race for the goal. Well three minutes into OVERTIME Auger SCORED. That's right, UML IN THE HOCKEY EAST FINALS! We beat out the #2 team that we haven't beat ALL SEASON! GO UML!

And that's just a visual for ya. Well I hope to see you ALL at the finals tonight!!!! TD Banknorth Garden 7pm!

So if you're a frequent reader, you're aware that I'm an RA. What you might not remember though, is that i'm an OL, or Orientation Leader. Well I got re-hired as an OL in November, but the last week in February was Orientation Leader Selection for new hires. Well, Orientation got a record number of applicants, 54!! That's crazy!

Selection weekend is just that, a weekend full of interviews. First day was a group interview. It is really just a day full of games and fun activities where you can showcase your personality. Second day is a formal interview with a senior staff member. Letters are available a few days later saying if you got hired as an OL, an alternate or not.

If you're a true reader and read my blog last year, you'll remember that I got an alternate spot. An alternate spot means that you were awesome but there just aren't enough spots to hire you right away. Last year we all got hired onto the OL staff. I remember getting the e-mail saying "do you want to be an OL this summer?" and I SCREAMED and jumped around with excitement.

As much as I love being an RA, being an OL is the greatest job. Basically you get paid to have fun and be a big goofball all summer. You get to yell and dance and be in skits (and sometimes we even get to Karaoke). You also get to work with some of the greatest people around. After being an OL this summer, my decision to go into College Student Development or Higher Ed was pretty much confirmed. I remember thinking "I can do this forever, like I can make this my career?!" and I was sold. Who doesn't want to have fun for the rest of their life?!

So if you're an incoming student or the parent of an incoming student, I will see you at Orientation this summer. Bring a smile and some energy, because it will definitely be a great experience. You'll learn some things, make friends and pick classes for the fall (and a whole lot more that is TOP SECRET and you just have to wait for the summer to find out!)

This past week was crazy! There was a TON going on around campus. There was the comedian Robbie Printz on Monday, a meeting with the Chancellor on Wednesday about student fees, a Rally protesting additional student fees and a blood drive on Thursday and hockey games Friday and Saturday against Northeastern.

I did attend a bunch of these events.

First, I went to the comedy show on Monday. All I have to say is that Robbie Printz was one of the funniest comedians I've seen in a while. I hadn't heard much about him beforehand, but I'm definitely a fan now. He had me and my friends belly laughing the entire show. If you need a good chuckle, I strongly suggest you check out his website http://robbieprintz.com/ (after you finish my entry of course)!

I wanted to attend the meeting with the Chancellor on Wednesday because there is always room to learn at the forums and I love to hear what is happening for us students, but I had class. Boo academics always in the way. Justtt kidding, it was my favorite class so I didn't mind too much.

On Thursday, I decided that I wanted to be a good samaritan so I woke up, grabbed some breakfast and went to Fox to donate blood. I've never been afraid of needles, let me start by saying that, but the thought of something collecting large quantities of my blood freaks me out. I've also never been able to donate before because of tattoo's, piercings and the Flu Shot. This year I checked out the website beforehand, and there was nothing stopping me. So I went over, did some paper work, answered some questions and very nervously, I gave blood! I felt great (mentally) after. I felt really positive and was happy I could finally donate. I saved two lives!

Finally, I went to part of the Hockey game on Saturday. They gave out Thunder Stix (these two plastic sticks full of air that you bang together and it makes a really loud, obnoxious noise). The game wasn't as good as some of the others I went to, but I had a good time nevertheless.

Like the title of this entry says, there is something for everyone here at UML.